Templated website builders offer people a cheap, DIY, way to get their first website online quickly. With free web template providers out there, what’s the value of going with a web design agency like Bizango?

We recently worked with author, C.L. Denault on a special design project for her upcoming book in the Prodigy Chronicles series. She needed a visual to help readers immerse themselves into this dystopian environment. Chaney, our designer was very excited to work on this project! Here is what she had to say about the experience:

The most exciting part of the project was to try to put myself into this world. To imagine what each of these regions would be like as if I’d been there, yet through the surveillance lens of a dark, corrupt council.

The biggest challenge was balancing getting all the details of the map represented while maintaining simplicity, sophistication, and understandability all while being displayed as if on a black translucent screen.

I drew reference from CL Denault’s descriptive explanation of the world and the reasons why regions became what they are - like how Wales no longer exists or Scotland area is covered in ice, etc. I also was inspired by other young adult dystopian stories and films like Hunger Games or Divergent in which a similar interactive geographical military map screen is portrayed.

I enjoyed working on this creative project. It gave me a fun, fresh opportunity to build a futuristic world imagined by a creative author using only shapes, color and texture. I’ve always been interested in the dystopian stories and how unlikely heroes rise against their oppressors even when it all seems hopeless and dark corruption is allowed as accepted reality in society.

Renee is the newest team member of Bizango but comes with years of experience in digital project management, design and marketing. Originally from Savannah, GA, she has made her way westward and has been in Seattle over 10 years. She keeps us focused and organized. Her goal is to always deliver excellent service through collaboration and project transparency.

In the world of web design you will hear the term “above the fold”. If you are asking yourself what this means, sit back and let us take you on a journey back to the 1990’s (!). Long ago, back when flash or hit counters were popular and everyone used a desktop computer, it was standard that any important information or calls to action be at the top of the screen, so that site visitors would not have to scroll down to see it. Any great web designer or web design agency knew that if you wanted your audience to see your message or click on your link, it had to be at the top of the page. The top of the page was prime real estate.

Fast forward to today – while our antiquated beliefs regarding keeping all important and relevant content at the top of the page may still hold some truth, the world of computers and web design have evolved. These days we use many devices with different screen sizes - laptops, iPads, smartphones. Think about a wide screen, high-resolution monitor, now imagine how that coverts on your smartphone. Responsive websites and a multitude of screen sizes have changed the game. People now are much more comfortable with scrolling. This variation in how each site visitor views a web page makes it difficult to set a standard “above the fold” guideline. The notion of “above the fold” is, practically speaking, obsolete.